Oscar overlooks a Tar Heel icon

The Daily News

Monday

Feb 25, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 25, 2013 at 5:45 PM

This beats everything, you know that? We’re talking, of course, about Sunday night’s Academy Awards show in Los Angeles. The annual production had its usual share of memorable musical performances, movie clips, fashion faux pas, gushing winners and crestfallen losers. It had laughs and gaffes. It even had a tumble. All according to script on Hollywood’s biggest night.

This beats everything, you know that?

We’re talking, of course, about Sunday night’s Academy Awards show in Los Angeles. The annual production had its usual share of memorable musical performances, movie clips, fashion faux pas, gushing winners and crestfallen losers. It had laughs and gaffes. It even had a tumble. All according to script on Hollywood’s biggest night.

But there was one rather glaring omission. During the segment in which the movie folks salute those who have passed away over the last year, we saw nary a mention of North Carolina’s own Andy Griffith, who died July 3 at age 86.

While “Ange” will always be more well known for his work in television on “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Matlock,” he also had a noteworthy career in films.

His best work, in his movie debut, was in 1957’s “A Face in the Crowd.” But Griffith also scored in “No Time for Sergeants” and ultimately appeared in films sporadically from the late 1960s to 2009.

The “In Memoriam” tribute is one of the highlights of any Oscar ceremony. While there are numerous news reports during the year when someone in show biz dies, we inevitably miss a few passings. The flash of a name and face on the screen can come as something of a jolt to the viewers.

And seeing — in a single, quick, collective showing — all those big names who are gone from our midst also has a way of reminding us of a familiar theme of the big screen: Time stands still for no one.

With the movie business now so gargantuan and far-flung, it’s inevitable that some noteworthy names are omitted.